Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-05
A SUBJECT FOR PROMPT ACTION

The Surveyor-General of the State, in
his report for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1886, recommends that all State timber
lands be withheld from sale, and that Con-
gress be asked to withdraw from sale all
unsold United States lands known to be
timbered. The reasons he assigns for these
recommendations are that the denudation
Of our mountain slopes is now materially
affecting, by reduction, the water necessary
to the supply of springs and streams; that
when winter rains come on, the unpro-
tected mountain tanks send down the
water with a suddenness that too quickly
fills the water courses, and thus disastrous
floods are more likely to occur This is a
strong official Endorsement of the need of
legislation to promote and protect forest
growth.
Some twelve years ago the RECORD
UNION drew attention to the wisdom of
action to prevent the destruction of the
forest timber growth of our hills and
mountains. 1t has advocated warmly from
that time to this the necessity of foresteIy
laws for California, pointing out the inn
portant relation between forest growth and
climate, growing timber preservation and
the habitability of the great valleys.
Others of the press seconded the effort,
and united in the advocacy of preventive
measures. But the people were not until
recently convinced of the need for action.
Indeed, until quite lately, the warnings
and advice were treated with something
akin to contempt Even some of our
State scientists were so far misled as to ad-
wise that no action was necessary, and that
wherever mountain timber was destroyed
an abundant growth sprang up, even more
dense than the original This was de-
ceptive. While the new growth did come
on, strengthening and fires destroyed more
than nature resupplied. More than this,
these new abundant growths did not
appear so frequently in the loftier alti-
tudes, where there is the great need
to conserve forest growth for protection to
the snow, the fountains of springs and the
genesis of streams.
Within the last three years there has
been radical chlnge in public sentiment
on the subject. Arboriculture was
treated as a fanciful idea in 1874, but
ten years later was accepted seriously, and
in lsS4-5 the Legislature was induced to
go so far as to create Forestry Commits
sion, of very limited powers, however, and
still more limited jurisdiction. In 1856
the first practical steps to encourage tree
planting were taken, and an Arbor Day
by private enterprise was fixed upon and
duly celebrated. But the date was too
early for all the interior, and the effort
was consequently confined to the imme-
date coast near San Francisco, where,
from the humidity of the atmosphere,
the people feared they would have
TO plant their trees in mud by selection
Of a later date, while the residents
of the valleys we're convinced that if they
planted on the earlier day it must be done
in the dust A later date is absolutely
necessary for the latter and this should be
fixed by the Legislature by an Act en-
couraging arborieulture.
1t is not necessary to recapitulate the
physical reasons for this encouragement
nor to point out the moral effect upon a
people, of such exercise as the planting
upon 4 uniformly observed arboricultural
holiday; we must assume that all are well
informed upon these subjects. In the light
of the action taken by Congress, the ex-
perienee of Germany, France, Switzer-
land and Italy, aud the action of several
of the more important States of the
American Union upon the need and de-
STABILITY of encouraging tree planting.
the people must be presumed to have
passed the stage when there is necessity
for any more missionary effort in that d.
rection. What we are to do now viii be at
-ActlSA VS. alA2A OF more OF
human energy than If we hadact twelve
years or more ago by employing prevent
i've z7ethods. However, we have greater
population now, and what is a necessity,
public conviction of the need for activity
in the natter In Nevada county the peo-
pie have already fixed upon the 22d Of
February sol Arbor Day, and have taken
the initiative steps to plant on that date.
For instance, they have raised the funds
necessary, and haze the volunteers enrolled
to plant trees thick y on both sides of the
road from Grass V.alley to Nevada City.
The date they have named is admirably
adapted for the MAJOR portion Of the IN
terror, and is just as app opriate for the
coast region. Mr.. sntro and Mr. Miller to
the contrary notwithstanding. The day